


The breakfast interrogation

by mckvch (RaiseYourVoice)



Series: How to woo your local barista [11]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Human, Awkward Conversations, Awkwardness, Barista Raphael, Demisexual Raphael Santiago, Established Relationship, Homoromantic Raphael Santiago, Idiots in Love, M/M, Meeting the Parents, Not Beta Read, Pansexual Simon Lewis, Teasing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-25
Updated: 2016-08-25
Packaged: 2018-08-11 01:01:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7869166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaiseYourVoice/pseuds/mckvch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I'm sorry. It's not my intention to embarrass you or make Raphael feel uncomfortable. I'm just really happy you finally found someone who returns your feelings. All these years pining for Clary...I was worried you would never get over her," Simon's mother continued and Raphael could almost feel his boyfriend cringe next to him.</p><p>"How about we don't talk about my former crush in front of my <em>boyfriend</em>? This is just weird..."</p><p>"I suppose you're over your feelings for Clarissa, so where's the harm? Raphael should know that he made the impossible possible by drawing in your attention."</p><p>"Oh, my god. Mum, just, no. Please stop," Simon pleaded and ran his hand over his face before snatching one of the menus off the table and place it in front of Raphael and himself to look at the offered breakfast options. Elaine only laughed softly at her son's reaction and winked at Raphael, who had only followed the short interaction with barely hidden amusement, his initial shyness slowly melting away a little.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The breakfast interrogation

**Author's Note:**

> This...is kind of ridiculous?

"I see why my son is so smitten; you're a really handsome young man."

They had just greeted Simon's mother - "Please call me Elaine." - and sat down at the small table in a cosy little coffee shop (not the one Raphael worked at) when his mother burst out with this comment. Simon replied a soft, slightly whiny "Mooom" while Raphael felt his cheeks heat up a little at the compliment. Yes, he had wanted to meet his lover's mother but of course, he was still pretty nervous and really wanted to make a good impression.

"That's not the main reason I'm with him but thanks for noticing his good looks, mom," Simon commented dryly and gently pressed his thigh against Raphael's - of course, they had chosen to sit on the small bench at the table to sit close to each other and Simon's mother had just smiled knowingly.

"Well, I can only assess his looks at first glance, son, but I'm sure his character is just as beautiful," Elaine replied and Raphael felt even more embarrassed. He was used to hearing these kinds of comments from his own mum but that was very different from hearing such things from someone who was basically still a stranger. Maybe this was a general mom-thing to say?

"I'm sorry. It's not my intention to embarrass you or make Raphael feel uncomfortable. I'm just really happy you finally found someone who returns your feelings. All these years pining for Clary...I was worried you would never get over her," Simon's mother continued and Raphael could almost feel his boyfriend cringe next to him.

"How about we don't talk about my former crush in front of my  _boyfriend_? This is just weird..."

"I suppose you're over your feelings for Clarissa, so where's the harm? Raphael should know that he made the impossible possible by drawing in your attention."

"Oh, my god. Mum, just, no. Please stop," Simon pleaded and ran his hand over his face before snatching one of the menus off the table and place it in front of Raphael and himself to look at the offered breakfast options. Elaine only laughed softly at her son's reaction and winked at Raphael, who had only followed the short interaction with barely hidden amusement, his initial shyness slowly melting away a little.

"So, Raphael, where is your family from - if you don't mind me asking?" Elaine started a new conversation after all three of them decided on something to eat and ordered it. Raphael was kind of used to this kind of question but people usually tended to ask where "he" was from, not considering that he might be born in the US.

"I don't mind. We're from Mexico but moved to New York when I was still a little boy; So I don't actually remember much about living in my home country," he answered, glancing at Simon when he felt soft fingertips brush the back of his hand under the table, before the other's fingers intertwined with his. A tiny soft smile tugged at the corners of his mouth and Simon mirrored the expression before Raphael turned his attention back to the conversation with his lover's mother.

"Did your parents teach you your mother tongue growing up? I hope this isn't rude to ask, I know some people think such questions might be offensive but, you know, my husband and I both came to the US when we were teenagers and later we didn't even think about raising our children bilingual for some reason. It's a shame, really."

"My mum raised us speaking Spanish because she was always struggling with English but in elementary school, I had a friend from the US and we taught each other our native languages. When we moved here, I already knew at least the basics and could help my mum and brothers a little. By now I'm mostly fluent in English and in Spanish anyway," Raphael replied happily and it was obvious how proud he was of his background, that he didn't mind Elaine's questions at all.

"That's so sweet. Simon sadly took French in school and he was admittedly horrible at it. It's a real shame," Elaine sighed and Simon rolled his eyes fondly because this topic came up repeatedly over the past few years. The conversation stopped when the waitress brought their drinks and Elaine excused herself to the restroom.

"I'm sorry, she loves to ask these kinds of questions," he mumbled, gently squeezing Raphael's warm fingers where their hands rested on his thigh under the table. The younger raised his eyebrows in amusement.

"There's nothing to apologise for. I'm obviously not white and I prefer being straightforwardly curious instead of staring at me trying to figure out where my roots might be. Back when we first moved to the US the kids at school always tried to guess from my accent - or just made fun of it." He shrugged and leant into his boyfriend who pulled an adorable face when Raphael mentioned he had been bullied for his accent.

"While we're on this topic anyway: where are your parents from?" Raphael asked curiously, his head slightly tilted.

"Can't you tell? I'm a mixed-breed: Colombian and Cuban, obviously," Simon replied, tilting his chin up and Raphael rolled his eyes before laughing softly.

"Obviously. Sorry, your ridiculous paleness made it a little difficult to determine," Raphael teased before pressing a soft kiss to his lover's cheek. Simon puffed out his cheeks and was clearly about to reply with a teasing comment of his own when Elaine returned and he chose to better not say whatever had been on his mind.

***

After their breakfast arrived Elaine continued with the little interview, asked more about Raphael's family and his education. She said it was a shame that Raphael had started working already at this age because he  _seemed like such a bright boy_  but she understood that a higher education would have been difficult for his family to pay for and that he had decided to start working to take at least a little of the financial pressure off his mother. That was also the reason why he had moved in with Magnus because now his mother had only four mouths left to feed at home and the small apartment wasn't as crowded anymore.

"I know Simon won't be happy with me asking this but...are you gay? Or bi, as well?" Elaine wanted to know when they finished eating and Simon sputtered, almost choking on the iced tea he was about to drink and stared at his mother in silent horror.

"First: yes, of course I'm not happy with you asking about this; other people's sexuality is none of your business, mum. And second: I'm still not bi, I'm pansexual and that's  _not_  the same", Simon corrected his mother and grimaced because he had tried to explain it several times already but somehow she was still calling him bi, despite all protests.

"I'm an old woman; I can't keep up with all these new terms."

"You're not old enough to use your age as an excuse, mum."

"Okay, I'm sorry but I can't promise to make this mistake again so please be a little forgiving with this old woman. So, Raphael, back to you - if you feel comfortable to answer this question, of course."

Simon rolled his eyes at his mother's nosiness but kept his mouth shut now and let his boyfriend decide whether he wanted to talk about his sexuality to a basically stranger. Raphael frowned a little, thoughtfully, before shrugging lightly.

"Well, I'm not...one of those  _new terms_  applies to me as well but...you could say that I'm gay because I'm only romantically interested in guys," he finally answered and obviously wanted to keep it simple for Simon's mother instead of using the term he identified with. Simon frowned a little, glanced curiously at his lover, but he had an inkling of what applied to the other. He would save this question for later because he knew it would otherwise just lead to his mum posing more awkward questions that he really didn't want to explain to her right now.

"Okay, maybe you boys could try to explain all of this to me some day so I can use the proper terms without anybody feeling peeved," Elaine replied with a teasing glance to her son and then she smiled motherly at Raphael.

"I have to say, I really approve of you, young man. You have better manners than Simon and maybe you could teach him how to do his hair properly so he doesn't walk around with such a messy mop on his head all the time."

Simon groaned and buried his face in his hands while Raphael had trouble stifling the laughter bubbling up in his chest. He really liked his boyfriend's mother. Elaine might be a little nosy and seemed to love embarrassing her offspring but she was an obviously loving and tolerant parent. She reminded Raphael a little of his own mum.

***

Simon was noticeably relieved when they said their goodbyes and left the café after a while, walking close to each other with intertwined fingers. They walked back to Simon's place in silence and the older boy let out a loud sigh of relief when the door clicked shut behind them.

"I can't believe this really happened. And you honestly didn't mind her just asking about your sexuality?" Simon questioned, frowning at his lover and kicking off his sneakers before he shrugged out of his jacket. Raphael shook his head in amusement, mirroring the other by taking off shoes and jacket.

"I can't say I did. I'm honestly not yet completely sure what to identify with by lack of experience but...I still don't mind talking about it because why not? I guess it's rare enough for the generation of our parents to be this accepting, so why not be open about it and educate them or at least let them know there's more than this whole  _black and white_  thinking when it comes to sexualities." Raphael shrugged and felt his cheeks heat up when he saw Simon stare at him with a slightly open mouth. Had he said something stupid?

"Are you sure you're only 17? This sounded way too mature for a 17-year-old."

"Well, somebody has to sound intelligent in this relationship once in a while, college-boy," he teased and a surprised laugh escaped his throat when Simon kind of tackled him, pinning him against the wall with a playful glare. He prevented his lover from another mischievous comment by attacking his mouth with his own, kissing the younger boy intimately and biting his lower lip softly.

"My mum is really wrong about you having manners. You always seem like such a well-behaved guy when in reality, you're a malicious sod!"

Raphael blinked once, twice before he burst out laughing and it didn't take too long for Simon to join in, leaning against his boyfriend while both of them laughed at their ridiculous little banter.


End file.
